Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.
As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.
Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.
Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.
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Did you miss the amazing Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies? How about each leg of Michael Phelps’ race to eight gold medals? You no longer need to guilt-trip your girlfriend about forcing you to go out to dinner during one of these monumental events. NBC is offering a DVD of the Olympics Opening Ceremonies and it is available for purchase on their website www.nbcdvd.com. Other DVDs available include “2008 Beijing General Highlight DVD” and “Michael Phelps: Greatest Olympic Champion…The Inside Story”.
11 replies on “NBC & SportsAgentBlog.com Olympics Contest”
Easy. Food Eating Contest.
This would test the stamina, endurance and mental toughess of these “athletes.” Much like other professional eating contests, you could break it up into several events consisting of multiple menu items. Joey Chestnut would be the American’s new Michael Phelps and pad our medal stats.
Only one question: Winter or Summer sport?
mwatkins9@yahoo.com
Dodgeball, of course.
Free running…
I’m not sure how handball is an Olympic sport, but golf isn’t. Golf has one of the world’s most iconic athletes (Tiger Woods) and it’s played just about all over the world, but it isn’t in the Olympics. It should be.
Also after being very disappointed with boxing in this Olympics (the athletes were basically just running and hopping away from each other the entire time), I’d like to see mixed-martial-arts in the Olympics. It’s probably one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and would be a lot more exciting than many other sports that are currently in the Olympics.
Martial Arts Point COmpetition Sparring for all styles. Tae Kwon Doe is too dull and boring. Its not enteraining. This kind of martial arts sparring is fast and intriguing. Kicks are not the only thing allowed. Punches and combinations are involved. Its a greattime to watch for AMerican Viewers and people across the world. Here is a link for an example…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQxS5yA715U
Or even Sports Martial Arts in general, the extreme forms are evoloutionizing sport karate. Its like gymnastics but with martial arts. Its real good.
How about synchronized skydiving as an olympic sport? How cool would that be? It takes courage and creativity to come up with a gold medal routine!
How about Synchronized Sky Diving as an olympic sport?
The next Olympic sport should be one of three sports. The easy one to say would be MMA, because of its international appeal and its acceptance into the mainstream. The second, lacrosse, would be a great spectator sport but sadly is not as popular as it would need to be. The third, and best, option would be to bring back tug of war. It used to be a sport in the early modern olympics and it would be awesome to watch. Can you imagine the US team of NFL lineman facing off against the Japanese team of Sumo wrestlers. And there would be the Bulgarian weightlifters… The possibilities are endless, and I know I would love to watch them. If beach volleyball can be accepted, why not a little tug of war?
Lacrosse is really up and coming in the United States and if it gets more international exposure, it could become popular enough to be an Olympic sport. As much as I love basketball, I think that another team sport has to come in and share some of the spotlight. Americans should dominate lacrosse early on, which would give the players further exposure and improve the popularity and notoriety of Major League Lacrosse. Lacrosse is a very popular sport among the high school and collegiate levels, but once players earn their scholarship and finish their collegiate careers, they do not expect to be paid a high salary in the MLL. Consider why the best lacrosse programs come from schools like Johns Hopkins, Duke, Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern, etc. These programs have built up because of their academic superiority and high level recruits are drawn to those programs because they know that a more intellectual career built by their college education will be more lucrative than a career as a professional lacrosse player. Olympic exposure is the best way to improve ratings and attendance for the MLL, which, in turn, will make a professional career in a rising sport like lacrosse possible for a college graduate.
A verdict has been cast by those helping us out from NBC. Congratulations to the following two winners, who will be receiving their DVDs later this month:
Michael Goldberg and Jason.
I will follow up emailing the both of you for your addresses.
Thanks again, everybody!